Snowboarding Forum - Snowboard Enthusiast Forums banner

Review: 2012 Never Summer Proto CT

272K views 919 replies 187 participants last post by  dreampow 
#1 · (Edited)
Review part 2 here with David's take on the board as well:

aGNARchy Proto CT Review

Introduction

For the past two years, I've slowly been getting sucked into the Never Summer hype around these forums. I wondered, "Can a line of boards really be that good?". Well, earlier last month, I was presented an opportunity of a snowboarding lifetime. Vince and Tracey from Never Summer contacted me and offered me a position in their online design team. What does that entail exactly? Well, they wanted my input on their products present and future. If I have any ideas/input regarding all aspects of their boards, then I am more than welcome to provide them. What's the catch? I have to ride and review a board of my choice. I chose the Proto CT because the tech specs sounded to be a perfect compliment to my riding style.

So you might be wondering what I thought about the board now. Well, I am a little angry at snowboardingforum to be honest. All that hype... all that talk... for what? A board that did not meet my expectations... THE NEVER SUMMER PROTO CT EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS. So why the anger? Because now I have to add another brand of boards to my want list. Now I want to ride them all! Thanks guys. This is not a good thing for a gear whore like me.

So here it is, my initial review of the excellent 2012 Never Summer Proto CT 157:

Setup
Board: 2012 Never Summer Proto CT 157
Bindings: 2011 Rome 390 Boss L/XL
Boots: 2011 Burton Restricted Hail 9.5 US
Stance: +18/-12 Regular @ 23.5"

I am 5'9, 180lbs.

Handling
The Proto CT really shines in this department. The snow conditions was as good as it gets for Michigan at a generous 10-12". The Proto absolutely loves the snow. It held a solid edge when initiating carves and was more than easy to engage the sidecut. I did a series of short to medium to long carves and it was superbly stable and smooth. The Proto rode like a 160ish board, but handled like a 155ish. I attribute these characteristics to the longer effective edge and light weight (the blunted tips reduce the swing weight as well).

As the day progressed, the good snow had been pushed off to the side leaving the hardpack exposed. The Proto didn't have a single problem eating through it all. In fact, I felt so confident on this board, that I still rode aggressively even though there was crazy wind gusts with snow that made it hard to see. Of course, I didn't mach down the run in fear of hitting another rider, but I sure was carving it up on terrain I could barely see.

I didn't take the Proto into park jumps yet, but I definitely will soon. I was hitting some pow build ups though and it was super stable on those little jumps. On one occasion, I leaned forward too much and was sure I was going to eat snow. Much to my joy, I was able to ride it out. Come on, I got away with landing on my nose. That's pretty good. Not sure if this will be the case on an actual kicker, but I'll take it.

The only cons I could find about the handling is the edge to edge quickness and speed. It wasn't quite as fast as other boards I ride. This is because the board's width is a little wider than what I normally ride. The Proto CT 157 has a waist width of 25.3". My other boards are under 25". But to be honest, that is nitpicking and someone with even a size 10 boot won't likely have this problem. As for the speed, I found it to be a bit slower than my other rides. However, this is on factory wax and I will surely have to see how it rides after I personally wax it.

Pop
Very satisfying. One of the more poppy boards out there. Load up on either the nose or tail and off you go. I was having a ton of fun just ollieing over branches and clumps of snow.

Flex/Camber Profile
I'd give this board a 6 rating flex-wise. Just over middle-of-the-road. Perfect for all-mountain freestyle in my opinion. Torsionally, it is a bit stiffer which is one of the reasons why this board carves so well for a mid-flex.

I was very curious about Never Summer's now famous Rocker Camber profile. Love it. I'm going to say it... I like it more than my previous favorite, C2 BTX. While the C2 is in fact more playful, it doesn't lend to carving and stability (stable C2 boards are good deal stiff like the T.Rice). Never Summer got things right with their hybrid camber and this is probably another reason why a board of this flex can handle like a bigger, stiffer board. I like that their camber section feels like it has more bite. I haven't compared it next to a C2 yet, but I'd hazard a guess that NS's camber zone is a little more pronounced. Although there wasn't a ton of pow, I did take the Proto on the sides of the runs where everyone was neglecting the untouched snow build-up. The NS held up really well and gave me a glimpse of what riding actual pow would be like. Obviously, there are better pow boards out there, but the Proto CT does well enough.

Other Thoughts
I have to mention that I had a crash on the Proto. I was riding behind a skier and wanted take a path to the right. I did not realize that he had the same path in mind and he made an abrupt right turn. We ended up colliding causing him to lose his skies and me to go into a tuck and roll. Don't worry, I admitted fault and apologized and we both had a good laugh about it. Anyway, back to the point. I was sure I was going to find some damage on my board. Absolutely sure of it. Needless to say, I still can't find it and I want to give it another look over next time I ride. I guess Never Summer isn't kidding about the Carbonium topsheet being durable.

That brings me to my other point. The Carbonium topsheet not only looks good, but makes for a damn handy stomp pad. As in, you don't need one with this board. The whole topsheet acts as a stomp pad thanks to that cool looking texture.

Conclusions
Boy oh boy did Never Summer deliver. Trust me, I wanted every bone in my body not to like this board as much as I did just so I can have a different opinion than the rest of the crowd. But now, I realize that this Never Summer hype has a solid foundation. Is it the perfect board? Well, no. No board truly will be perfect. But for an all-mountain freestyle shredder, it comes pretty darn close.

Who do I recommend the Proto CT for? The intermediate-advanced rider that is looking for a do everything ride.

Big thanks to Vince and Tracey for giving me this opportunity. The Proto CT is definitely an excellent board that exceeded all my expectations.
 
See less See more
#881 ·
Great review. Been looking at the 2013 proto as a new board for me.

I currently ride a burton joystick but will be only using it for park from now on. As I want a board that is pretty good at everything.

I ride a 157 joystick with waist width of 25.3 was thinking of getting the protox at 158 as it has a waist width of 26.4 and I feel the overhang is too much on my joystick.

I am 182lbs 6 foot 1 with size 11.5 feet.

Do you think that the 158 proto x would be a good fit for me?
 
#882 ·
11.5 is on the cusp of needing a wide.

Also, waist width only tells part of the story. The point where the inserts lie is wider than the waist. So two boards with the same waist width might be different width at the inserts. So while one board might feel too narrow, the other might not.

I couldn't tell you how wide the two boards are at inserts. Maybe you might be able to dig up info. My buddy who has a size 11.5 boot doesn't have problems riding my boards or other regular widths. He's had boots from 32 and K2 (current).

You can probably go either way. It's either going to be slightly too narrow or slightly too wide.


Sent from Verticalsports.com Free App
 
#889 ·
I just got back from my first week on the 2013 Proto.. took a trip to Chamonix before I head back for my full season in NZ starting shortly.

Not much to add with whats already been said its an amazing deck. What surprised me though was the time it took me to adjust, I was coming from a standard camber and it took me almost two full days to feel comfortable with the board.. maybe a mix of not having boarded in 6 months and the new deck.. but fuck it was tough going to get back to how I use to board!

Big improvements edge to edge and pop compared to any deck I've been on previously, the perfect stiffness for how I like to board. And a huge plus is the actual board construction. My mate was also on his first week with his new TRS, pritty agressive riders on identical runs for 7 days and his board had quite a few war wounds, the Proto held up amazingly in comparison.

Cant wait to fly back to NZ with this new board. Luckily there isn't a NS love in there yet (price of the deck see's to that) so i'll be one of a select few riding NS down below.. Lets hope i'll get the snow to match my deck! :D
 
#890 ·
What surprised me though was the time it took me to adjust, I was coming from a standard camber and it took me almost two full days to feel comfortable with the board.. maybe a mix of not having boarded in 6 months and the new deck.. but fuck it was tough going to get back to how I use to board!

Did you notice the Proto doesn't like flat basing? That was my big adjustment. On my camber boards I can get away being lazy and just straight basing. The Proto needs to be on edge. Which is fine with me. Just took me a minute to figure out.
 
#898 · (Edited)
Australian snowboard industry is such a rip
quit crying and buy it or don't.

My Proto cost me 600 (576) a couple miles from the factory. You are as far away as you can be without leaving the planet.

Oh and your country is like 111% desert. The only reason you have a snowboarding industry is because Britain colonized it.
 
#904 ·
In my opinion, yes. It is still softer in the middle though. I think the low profile tips give off the illusion of being less playful too. Presses aren't as high, but I feel way more stable doing them on the HD.

It's not substantially less playful so don't get me wrong. Just noticeable when you switch between the CT and HD.
 
#906 ·
The Proto HD is awesome in the trees. Though I prefer the Evo over it because I'm usually messing around in there.

I think the HD would be right up your alley. Kills the groomers and is a lot of fun in the trees. As for jumping, it's my go-to board for that. The pop is excellent and everything from take-off to landing feels solid.
 
#907 ·
Great, thanks for the feedback. I was set on the SL, but then heard a lot of good things about the Proto HD on here. I like how it's lighter. I actually prefer the white on the 2014 SL to the 2014 Proto graphics... But I'm not getting it to look at :thumbsup:
 
#914 ·
I really like both boards. I personally didn't have much to complain about with the CT. Several people wanted it to be damper so that's what they got with the HD. I think the HD is a touch stiffer now. The low profile tips and extended transition gives the illusion that it's less playful as well because your presses won't feel/look as high.

In the jump line though, the HD is without a question the more solid choice. The CT is superb as well, but the HD's new shape is very stable on takeoff and landing.
 
#916 ·
Stryderlis,

Leo can't tell you to buy either board. It is a personal choice based on how you ride and the conditions you ride in.

If you want a quiver killer and like to bomb then the hd.
If you are athletic and want to do more park then the ct.
If you ride lots of pow then get the ct.
If you ride the ice coast then get the hd.
...

Another option, NS Proto has a high resale value. You could buy the ct try it and if you wanted something stiffer buy the hd. Note the cost of demo rental to help justify the purchasing the ct. Just keep the Proto in mint sellable condition, don't bust the edge, topsheet or gouge the base.

Hope this helps - Nito
 
#918 ·
finally snagged one..

So, based upon reading here and getting a bunch of good advice, asking even more questions to too many people to keep track of I was finally determined to find a Proto CTX (I've got big feet).
Stopped back in to local shop last week..sale time...scored one for .....$349....!

Seriously, these guys always have a good stock of NS...it's all they carry.
I grabbed some to-be-unnamed bindings as well and imagine that, the owner took $50 off of them making them cheaper than the online stores.

Nice, locally-owned place, so go and support your local shop!!

So now, the wait begins, which is good cause my dislocated elbow and torn stuff should be healed enough by then.

Seriously, thanks everyone for sharing your reviews, comments and experiences here. :eusa_clap:
 
#919 ·
I'm also gonna throw my Proto question in here.

I'm currently 6"6' and weigh slightly less than 180 lbs (give and take a few pounds). The shoesize of my Salomon Savage is 11,5 with a mondo of 29,5 cm.

The thing I'm worried about: Can I take above stats on a Proto HD 157 or should I go for the HDX 158 for some extra room?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top